Current:Home > InvestA Japanese court rules it’s unconstitutional to require surgery for a change of gender on documents-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
A Japanese court rules it’s unconstitutional to require surgery for a change of gender on documents
View Date:2024-12-24 10:34:38
TOKYO (AP) — A court in central Japan ruled Thursday that it is unconstitutional to require a transgender person to undergo surgery to remove their current reproductive organs in order for them to receive documentation under their new gender.
The verdict in Shizuoka family court upholds a transgender plaintiff’s request to change their gender from female to male without having surgery, a decision that was hailed as a landmark by LGBTQ+ advocates. The verdict sets only a limited precedent, but a similar case before Japan’s Supreme Court could set legal precedent nationally.
Gen Suzuki, 48, filed a lawsuit in 2021, seeking a court decision to allow a change of his biologically assigned gender of female to male to match his self-identity without an operation. He said the requirement to undergo surgery was inhuman and unconstitutional.
On Thursday, the Shizuoka family court upheld his request, saying that surgery to remove sexual organs would cause an irreversible loss of reproductive functions, and that to require the surgery “raises a question of its necessity and rationality” from medical and social perspectives.
The decision comes at a time of heightened awareness of issues surrounding LGBTQ+ people in Japan.
Activists have stepped up efforts to pass an anti-discrimination law since a former aide to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in February that he wouldn’t want to live next to LGBTQ+ people and that citizens would flee Japan if same-sex marriage were allowed. Japan is the only Group of Seven country that does not allow same-sex marriage.
The Shizuoka court said a growing social acceptance of sexual and gender diversity makes the requirement to undergo surgery to eliminate the possibility of childbirth outdated and goes counter to a global effort toward creating a more inclusive society.
Suzuki welcomed the ruling and said he was encouraged by positive changes in society. “I want children to hang on to their hope. I want to see a society where sexual diversity is naturally accepted,” Suzuki said.
Suzuki started having gender identity issues in childhood, and at the age of 40 started hormonal treatment and then breast removal surgery. Suzuki now has a female partner, according to the court ruling released by his support group.
LGBTQ+ activists and supporters on social media welcomed the ruling and congratulated Suzuki.
A similar lawsuit filed by a transgender female asking for a recognition of her gender without operation is pending at the Supreme Court, whose decision is expected as early as late December.
In July, Japan’s Supreme Court ruled that restrictions imposed by a government ministry on a transgender female employee’s use of restrooms at her workplace were illegal -- the first such ruling on the working environment for LGBTQ+ individuals.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Nicole Scherzinger receives support from 'The View' hosts after election post controversy
- Saying goodbye to Pikachu and Ash, plus how Pokémon changed media forever
- Firefighter sets record for longest and fastest run while set on fire
- Indicators of the Week: tips, eggs and whisky
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- Reckoning With The NFL's Rooney Rule
- Why a debt tsunami is coming for the global economy
- An Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights seeks to make flying feel more humane
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- The Biden EPA Withdraws a Key Permit for an Oil Refinery on St. Croix, Citing ‘Environmental Justice’ Concerns
Ranking
- Pedro Pascal's Sister Lux Pascal Debuts Daring Slit on Red Carpet at Gladiator II Premiere
- 14 Gifts For the Never Have I Ever Fan In Your Life
- Eggs prices drop, but the threat from avian flu isn't over yet
- AbbVie's blockbuster drug Humira finally loses its 20-year, $200 billion monopoly
- Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
- Vitamix Flash Deal: Save 44% On a Blender That Functions as a 13-In-1 Machine
- Inside Clean Energy: The Coal-Country Utility that Wants to Cut Coal
- Six Takeaways About Tropical Cyclones and Hurricanes From The New IPCC Report
Recommendation
-
The state that cleared the way for sports gambling now may ban ‘prop’ bets on college athletes
-
Lands Grabs and Other Destructive Environmental Practices in Cambodia Test the International Criminal Court
-
Biden says he's serious about prisoner exchange to free detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
-
Exploding California Wildfires Rekindle Debate Over Whether to Snuff Out Blazes in Wilderness Areas or Let Them Burn
-
Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
-
You Can't Help Falling in Love With Jacob Elordi as Elvis in Priscilla Biopic Poster
-
Tornadoes touch down in Chicago area, grounding flights and wrecking homes
-
Saying goodbye to Pikachu and Ash, plus how Pokémon changed media forever